Bottle closure disk



p l 2 29. w. L. wmm 1,707,837

norms cnosunz DISK Filed March 15, 1928 Patented A az, 1929.

' WILIBUR L. WRIGHT, F FULTON, NEW YORK, A SSIGNOR TO TION, O1! FUI TON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OSWEGO'FALLS CORPORA- OF NEW YORK.

BOTTLE CLOSURE DISK.

Apimoation filed March 15, 1928. Serial No. 262,018.

This invention relatesto closure disks of the so-called milk bottle cap type composed of a flat disk cut from sheet'rpulp, paper or felted fibrous material, sometimes called pulp 5 or paper board, that is usually from about,

say, forty to about, say, seventy thousandths of an inch in thickness having parallel hard or calendered top and bottom surfaces integral or in one piece with an intervening integral mass of felted fibers; that possesses the peculiar characteristic of being capable of splittingor tearing, under. the applica-' a panel-like portion that can be picked up at one end and split from the disk to form a pull tab that is integral at its base with the ody of the disk and at its base or hinge por- 5 tion is of the full thickness of the disk so as to withstand the pulling force exerted on the disk through the tab to extract the disk without tearing the tab from the disk, and which tab carries up when elevated a relatively short and narrow bottom plug portion that opens a pouring and drinking tubeopening throu h the disk into the bottle. The disk was t us formed with atab portion located remote from the perimeter of the,disk by an '35\ approximately U-shaped top incision ex-l tending down about half way through the disk and a relatively short and narrow bottom incision extending up about half way through the disk and located longitudinally 4 of and about centrally between and spaced from theverticalplanes of the longitudinal side slits" of the top incision, also that the top and bottom-incisions do not meet and are non-alined, with the inner end of the bottom incision located outwardly beyond or short of the inner end of the top incision. The pull tab when-s lit from the disk and lifted presented atively short and narrow portion the full thickness of the disk with a top relatively thin overhanging flange atthelongitudmal sides and free end of-the tab as heretofore been I having a raw bottom surface where split from the portion of the disk outside of the side and end portion of the bottom'incision'.

The peculiar splitting characteristic of the sheet paper material that was utilized in th1s closure disk. hereinbefore described caused certain serious difficulties that developed in the public use of such disk, namely; the tendency of the top half of the tab portion to split from the plug portion or bottomhalf thereof and thereby leave said plug in and closing the disk, resulting in the formation of a thin pull tab that was not capable of serving as a disk extracting pull tab because it would tear from the disk under disk extractin pull,-as such tab was not at its base the all thickness ofthe disk. The pull tab, thus often ceased to function as 'a pull tab and to open up a pouring and tube opening through the disk, and I have discovered that this diflicultyis due to the tendency of the pull tab itself to split longitudinally from thebottom or plug portion of such tab owing to the difiiculty of picking up the full thickness of the top pick up end of said tab and of always inserting the finger nail under said end and because of the frictional hold of the 1 bottom or lug portion of the tab in the bottom portlon of the disk and the resistance so thereof against elevating and because of the thickness an'dstifl'ness' of the hinge connection between the body of the disk and the base of the full-thickness tab and the consequent tendency of the upper portion of the full- 8:; thickness tab to swing up on a slightly different axis from the lower portion thereof with a resulting differential longitudinal fibre separating or splittin pull or strain on the upper and lower longitudinal tab pore0 tions. For years efforts have been made to discover the cause of the difiiculty and to solve the problem within the limitations prescribed by manufacturing costs and the nec essary low selling price and trade require ments against" complications, but without success, until the happy thought of theinstant invention.

An object of the invention is to so improve the closure disk of the type hereinbefore d'eoo scribed as to overcome the difliculties set forth and assure the functioning of the tab as a forming a part hereof:

. on the dis of the disk established by its perimeter, and

Fig. l'is a top plan of a paper material milk bottle cap or closure disk showing an example of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section. on an enlarged scale,

- on the line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan of the disk of Fig. 1, with the pull tab split upwardly from the body of the disk and bent back.

Fig. 4 is a section onthe line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan viewof'the disk of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is atop plan. of a paper material closure disk embodying my invention in another form.-

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a top plan of a paper material closure disk showing another form of my invention. Fig. 9 is a detail section on the line 9-9 Fig. 8. N a

i Fig. 10 is a top plan ofa paper closure disk showing my invention in still another form.

Fig. 11 1s a top plan of a paper closure disk showing a further form of my invention.

Fig. 12 is a detail section on the line 12-12, Fig. 11.

The flat paper disks or so-called milk bottle caps 1, illustrated by the several figures of the drawings, are all composed of sheet fibrous material such as hereinbefore de scribed, possessing the capacity to split as has been explained. I

Each disk is incised vertically and part way through downwardly through the top and upwardly through the bottom, by top incisions 2, and bottom incisions 3, to pro-- vide each disk with a pull tab portion 4,

when split from the disk and elevated, as in Figs. 3 and 4. While such pull tab portion remains parallel with the top and bottom surfaces of the disk' and integral with or .an unbroken part of the disk, the top incision 2, .outlines a top panel 5, at the top of the disk which is the top of said pull tab portion, while the bottom incision 3, outlines narrower and shorter panel 6 bottom which is the bottom, or unders de of the plug,.of said pull tab. portion.

In the examples shown, the pull tab por tion is located entirely within the boundary a relatively hence the tab portion and its base junction w th the body of the disk are remote from the the disk body to provide the hinge 7, of the full thickness of the disk at which the material bends when the tab is split and elevated and which is of the required tensile strength to extract the disk from the bottle mouth under the eXtr-acting pull of the tab, without separating or causing the disk to split through its edge. These incisions also provide at the top, the relatively vertically thin inner or pick-up end 8, of the tab, and at the bottom, the inner end of the reduced or plug portion of the tab.

The bottom incision is narrow and shorter than the top incision to leave unsevered unbroken internal portions of the disk intervening between the inner ends of the cuts of said incisions, whereby the tab portion remains an integral part of the disk and parallel with the top and bottom surfaces thereof, until the tab is split up, all approxi- 1 mately as generally disclosed by my Patent No. 1,403,532 of Jan. 17, 1922'.

The relatively thin pick-up end of the tab portion at the top of the disk can be defined by a'top recess 9, (Figs, 1, 2, 3,4, 6, 10, 11, 12) formed by cutting out and removing a plug of the paper material in thickness about equal to the depth of cuts 2, which intersect said recess, so that a vertical wallof the recess is formed by the exposed edge of the pick-up end, and the splitting of said end of the tab portion can be initiated by the nail of the finger inserted in the recess so that the pick-up end can be raised sufliciently to be pinched between the fingers to, pull the tab up, .stripping the same from the disk back to hinge portion 7.

.' If the tab pick up end is not defined by a transverse picked out recess, it might be formed by an embossing tool, or it can be defined as in Figs. '8 and 9, by the cross,por-

the disk, to thereby assure the formation of the drinking tube and pouring opening through the disk and the provision of a pull tab for extracting the disk.

This stitching can be accomplished by various means or by stitching elements of various formations and locations in or along the said pull tab portions, some of which elements and locations I have disclosed in the stripped and elevated from the remainder of drawings for illustrative but not in all events for purposes of limitation, as various other formations and arrangements might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I

For instance, I show the stitching formed by riveting or the like, Whether by U-shaped or straight length metal staples, although I do not wish to so limit all features of my invention.

In Figs. 1 to 6. both inclusive, a very small or thin preferably flexible wire U-shape staple 10, is driven down through fiat pull tab portion of the disk with the lower ends of its legs clinched or doubled up against the under side of said portion of the disk. The;

top length of this staple is arranged longitudinally and approximately centrally of I and on the top face or panel 5, of the tab portion, in this particular example, approximately throughout the length thereof, and the staple,-in this example, at its inner end (radially of the disk) extends to the pick up end 8, of the tab portion with its leg at that end extending down through the disk approximately outside of or through the cross-portion of the bottom incision 3, and then clinched back onto the bottom of the plug portion of the tab part, preferably so that the inner end leg 11, of the staple is somewhat rounded to avoid puncturing or injury to the finger when initiating the splitting and uplifting .of the tab pick up end.

.This arrangement of thestaple end, at the.

tab pick up end, provides a guide for the finger nail in picking up the tab end and stifiens said end in such manner that the tab can be quickly Split and rocked up, intact and bodily with its plug 6; In fact, as shown by the stitching or staple 10, 11, Figs. 8 and 9, the location of the end 11, of the staple at and forming a pick up guide for the pick up end of the tab, avoids the necessity of providing the depression 9, or other recess to ex- ,pose the pick up edge of, the tab part for the insertion of the finger nail. The curved depending end 11, of the staple forms a guide and pick up for the finger nail by means of which the tab can be easily and quickly elevated and split from the disk, and the pick up end of the tab portion isther'eby rendered accessible for elevation, without exposing the tab edge by a recess .or cut enlar ement.

owever, the stitching from top to bot tom of the tab portion can be accomplished by a U-shaped rivet or staple 12, arran ed transversely of the tab portion intermediate its edges and its hinge portion and pick up end, as-in Figs. 6 and 7; the staple'being driven through the tab portion with its legs clinched to the bottom thereof and its .longitudinal length on the top thereof.

Again, the U-shaped rivet or staple 13,

Fig. 10, can be arranged longitudinally of the tab portion remote from its pick up end, I and can extend outwardly beyond the hinge portion or base of the tab portion, or can terminate'short thereof, with its legs driven down through the disk and turned or clinched to the under side of the tab portion, or one on the under side of the tab portion and the other wholly on the disk outwardly beyond the under side of the plug portion onwholly or partly on said plug portion.

Again, as in Figs. 11 and 12, the stitching through the tab portion of the disk can consist of a single or straight length rivet or staple 14, passed through the tab between its sides and remote-from its end and hinge portion and cliiiched or upset against the top and bottom surfaces of said tab portion.

In any event, however, the tab portion is stitched through, the described difficulty isv overcome, and the tab is stiffened and strengthened and the splitting and elevation thereof is facilitated, and the tab is maintained against splitting longitudinally within itself, and the desired proper uncovering of the opening through the disk is assured on splitting of the tab'and elevation thereof to form a disk extracting pull tab. 1

The milk cap or closure diskof my invention is tight againstle'akage therethrough before the pull tab has been split up, and furthermore is without-such-top and bottom projections as will prevent the use thereof in automatic bottle capping machinery. The stitching elements are shown in the drawings exaggerated in size relative to the disk.

What I claim is 1; A closure disk of fibrous material incised part way through from the top and bottom to outline a pull tab portion capable of being picked up from one' end and split from I the disk toward its base junction with the I disk to provide an opening'through the disk and a disk extracting pull tab having its base junction with the disk ofthe full thickness of the disk, and stitching extending transversely 10 and completely through said tab ortion of the disk and elevating with saidta 2. A closure disk of fibrous material closed against liquid leakage therethrough and in- I cised to provide a tab rtion capable of split- 115 ting'from the disk an elevation toprovide a drinking tube openin and stitching extending vertically throng said tab rtion from the top to the, bottom thereoian holding togather the top, bottom and intermediate por- 120 tions thereof -against separation by s litting.

3. A closure disk of thin flat singiia-thickness fibrous paper material capable of split-' .ting in planes between and approximately parallel with its top and bottom surfaces, said 125 disk incised part way through from-'its-top and bottom to rovide a pull tab portion capable of being liited and split to provide a disk extracting pull tab and an opening through the disk, the top, bottom and intermediate portions of said pull tab portion being secured together to prevent splitting of the pull tab during splitting and lifting thereof from the body of the disk.

4. A closure disk of sheet paper material that is capable of splitting between its top and bottom faces, said disk incised to provide a pull tab portion forming an unbroken part of thedisk and capable of being initially split and lifted at one end from the disk, and a stitching element extending transversely through said tab portion and forming a finger nail guide at said end of said portion 5. A closure disk of sheet paper material that is capable'oi splitting between its .top and bottom faces, said disk incised to provide a pull tab portion forming an unbroken part of the oliskrand having a pick-up end adapted to be engaged and lifted by the finger nail'to split and elevate the tab portion from the body of the disk, and a staple driven through said tab portion and stiiiening said pick-up end. A

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand at ll ulton New York, this 14th day of March, 1928.

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